Vending-machine.



PATENTED SEPT. 8, 190a. Y J. R. WILLIAMS.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1902. I0 MODEL.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1903. J. R.- WILLIAMS. VENDING MACHINE.- APPLIOA'ILION IILED AUG. 5, 1902.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1903 Is SHEETS-SIIEET 3.

J. R. WILLIAMS. VENDING MACHINE. Arrmuuxoxgrnnn we. 5, 19oz.

no 110mm.

Z W m fifillllllllll II W/TNESSES Nada k UNITE ST TES 1 IPatented September 8, 1903.

JAMES R. \VILLIAMS, OF FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

VENDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 738,386, dated September 8, 1 903.

Application filed August 5, 1962:. Serial No. 118,519. (No modeld cluded one or more goods holders or maga zines in which is contained the articles to be.

vended and which automatically gravitate to a delivery member common to all of the magazines or goods-holders and which coacts with a manually-operated coin-controlled pusher mechanism and arranged to discharge asingle package at each proper manipulation of the coin-controlled pusher mechanism. My invention especially seeks to provide a vendingmachine of this type in which the operating mechanism is compactly arranged and of few parts, capable of being economically manufactured, and having such cooperative arrangement whereby they can be readily assembled and adapted to remain in a proper operative position regardless of the extent to which the machine is used.

My invention in its generic nature comprehends a base portion of any suitable ornamental shape, having a goods-discharging opening communicating with the dischargethroat in one of the walls of the base portion, a rotary delivery member axially mounted upon the base and formed witha n umber of slots adapted to be successively moved under the discharge ends of the several magazines,

the number of slots being one in excess of the number of magazines orgoods-holders, whereby at each partial predetermined rotation of the said delivery member one of its slots with a packageof goods will bebrought into register with the goods-discharge opening in the base.

' My invention also includes a novel construction of coiircontrolled mechanism operatable by a coin of predetermined size and a detent device, which forms a cooperative part of said coin-controlled mechanism, of such arrangement that upon proper manipulation of the coin mechanism a partial rotation of the delivery member is eifected to deliver a single package, the coin that forms the connecting-link for the separately-movable parts of the coin mechanism is tripped and discharged into a receiver, and the detent is moved into position to arrest the throw or rotary movement of the delivery member.

In its more complete nature my invention embodies a special construction of coin mechanism in which the parts are especially designed to reject a coin other than the required kind and which parts are correlatively so disposed as to positively act to eifect a proper movement of the delivery member with a proper coin.

In its subordinate features my invention consists in certain details of construction and peculiar combination of parts,of which special mention is made of the man nerthat the several magazines are detachably fitted into position,

a closure-casing fitted over the entire series of magazines and detachably held, whereby by removal of the same easy access is to be had to the magazines and the operating mechanism, and the means for locking the machine from further action when the last one of the entire series of magazines is empty, allof which will hereinafter be more specifically pointed out and defined in the appended claims, reference beinghad to the accompanyingdrawings, in which mechanism being, however, shown as having effected a partial rotation of the delivery member, the coin in position to be discharged by the trip devices, and the detent in position to arrest the movement of the delivery member. Fig. 6 is an inverted plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is an inverted plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section of the machine,

taken substantially on the line 8 8 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 9 is a cross-section of the same on the line 9 9 of Fig. 8 Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section of the coin-pusher and the slide member actuated thereby, the parts being at their normal position and a proper-sized coin inserted. Fig. 11 is a similar view, the pusher being at its inner position and the coin-tripper shown as engaging the coin preparatory to discharging the same. Fig. 12 is a view of the same parts, and illustrates the manner in which a smaller coin is rejected. Fig. 13 is an inverted plan view of the goods-delivery member. Fig. 14 is a detail view illustrating one form of lock device for securing the magazine closure-casing and the'coin-box.

In the practical construction of my'invention the base portion of my machine may have such ornamental shape as will lend attractiveness to the complete machine.

In the drawings I have shown my invention as particularly adapted for vending postage-stamps, and the same as especially for use on hotel-counters, writing-tables, and the like, and the base A, which is made hollow, has a square or rectangular .shape, with its corners provided with hollow pedestals A A, which can be readily utilized as ink-wells or receivers for matches and other articles. \Vhen utilized as ink-wells, the said corners have'ornamental cover-pieces A as shown.

While the style of mechanism shown is intended to serve as a stamp-seller, it is manifest any other articles of uniform shape and suitable to feed down the magazine and engage singly with the delivery member may be sold, and the base made of any ornamental shape desired. v

Within the base A is fitted a coin-box B, insertib'le through the rear side, and which is locked in the manner hereinafter described. The base A also includes a bed-piece a, which is longitudinally slotted as at a, to receive the coin mechanism, and near its front end the base-piece a has a single discharge-opening a that communicates with the goodsdelivery throat or slot a in the front wall of thebase, as will be clearly understood from Figs. 1 and 8 of the drawings.

Communicating with the slot at is a circular opening a disposed centrally of the bedpiece a, and in this opening 0t is held a cog- Wheel 1, provided with a pendent pintle 1, that bears in the cross-plate 2, (see Figs. 6 and 9,) and it also has an upwardly-projectingstud 1 which forms the axial bearing for the rotary delivery disk or member3, which carries a spring-held pawl 3 on its under side to engage the ratchet member 1, fixedly held on the hub 1 of the cog-wheel 1. (See Figs. 9 and 13.) The ratchet 1 has a fixed number of teeth, which number equals the number of openings in the delivery-disk', (four being shown.)

The coin mechanism consists of a bar 0, slidable in the slotway, and a pusher 0, also slidable in the slot at, the front end of which normally projects beyond the front Wall of the base and terminates in the usual finger-ledge 0 In line with the slot a the bed-piece of the base has an extension 01, provided with a horizontal coin-receiving aperture 6. The inner end of the coin-pusher O is bifurcated and-ithas its opposite extensions c 0 held to straddle the slide 0, as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and the crotch of the bifurcated portion is semicircular, as indicatedby c and of a diameter to snugly fit over the outer edge of a proper-sized coin, when the same is inserted in the manner shown in Figs. 5and10. Normally the crotch c of the pusher O and the outer edge 0 of the slide 0 are so spaced that the pusher C has a limited free movement before coacting with the slide (3. This free movement I utilize as a means for rejecting a smaller-sized coina penny, for instance-which operation is accomplished as follows: At a point nearly in line with the rear edge of the coinreceiving opening in the extension 61 the slot 0. is formed with a downwardly and rearwardly inclined surface 1, which is so distanced from the coin-engaged edge 0 of the slide 0 that a coin of less diameter than the nickel will overbalance before it reaches the edge 0 and by reason thereof slide down the incline 1, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 12. Assuming the machine is arranged to be operated by a nickel, the correlation of the parts 0 and c is such that the nickel engages the edge 0 and pushes the slide 0 back a distance sufficient to effect a proper operation of the delivery devices, as presently described, before the nickel passes its center on the upper edge of theincline 1 To discharge the nickel after it has served its function as a pusher member, I provide the slide 0 with a spring-metal trip-linger 4, which moves rearwardly with the slide 0 and at a proper time engages an incline 4 on the stationary base of the magazine-holder, and is thereby deflected to the position shown in Fig. 11 to eject the nickel through it to the ratchet, and the ratchetim-' parts partial rotation to the delivery disk or member 3, the several parts being so timed that when arranged as shown a back thrust on the slide 0 when a proper coin is inserted will effect a quarter-rotation of the deliverydisk 3. As the pusher O frequently receives a vigorous thrust, I provide a means for preventing an excess movement of the disk 3 by momentum and to cause the disk 3 to always stop with its discharge-orifices containing the package sold to register with the dischargeslots in the machinebase. This operation is effected in a simple and effective manner by forming the peripheral edge of the disk 3 with four equidistant radial stops 33, one for each aperture in the disk. A spring dog or dctent 8 (best shown in Figs. 3, 6, and 7) is arranged to coact with the radial stops 3 on the member 3, and the said detent 8 is rigidly secured to the base at one end, and its free end has a finger 8, adapted to project up through a slot 9 in the bed'piece in line with the shoulder 0 on the pusher 0. Normally the tension of the spring-detent 8 is such as to draw the finger S out of the sweep ofthe stops 3 but the finger 8? and the shoulder c have such correlative positions that when the pusher 0 reaches the limit of its thrust the shoulder '0 engages the finger S and pushes it in the path of the stops 3 (see Fig. 5,) and thereby arrests for the time being further movement of the delivery member The magazine or goods-holder portion of my invention comprises a bottom'piece 20, adapted to rest upon the bed of the base, and said bottom piece 20 is preferably of circular shape and provided with an annular vertical flange 20, the purpose of which will presently appear. The bottom piece 20 hasthree apertures.28, which form the discharges for the several magazines or holders m m m disposed quarterly relatively to each other and in correlation with the delivery-disk, so as to perfectly register with the coincident apertures in the said disk when the latter is properly turned to its quarter-revolutions. Secured to the bottom 20, one over each aperture 20, is a magazine or holder, which in horizontal section has the shape and size of the aperture 20, and both the said aperture and the holder are shaped to suit the contour of the articles to be vended. In the type of machine shown the packages are rectangular, and when stamps are sold they are placed between cardboard or other rigid holders and ejectedtherewith. Each magazine has a pair of oppositely-disposed slots m", that extend from near the upper end to a point near their lower ends, and said slots are provided to form guides for the lugs n it upon the weighted followers N N, which aid in causing the packages to properly gravitate to the discharge ends of the said holders. The slots on in the magazines m m terminate at such distance above the bottom of the holders that the followers N N therein are prevented from extending below the plane of the bottom piece 20, while the slots m in the last magazine or holder 'm extend lower, whereby after the last package is sold out of the last holderm the follower N will project through the piece 20 and engage the pocket of the delivery member 3 under the last magazine, and thereby securely lock the machine from further use until it is again properly adjusted. The slots in the magazines also serve as indicators for showing the quantity of goods contained in the said magazine, and all of the magazines are held out of sight by a cylindrical sheetmetal closure-casing 30, the lower end of which is adapted to seat over the flange 20 of the bottom piece 20, and the upper end of said casing has fixedly secured thereto an orna- "by a lock-hasp 40, secured to the coin-box and adapted to engage the staple 40 on the casing 30 and padlock 50, as shown in detail in Fig. 14.

From'the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is believed the complete operation of my invention will be readily understood.

The operation of vending the article desired is effected by placing a proper coin in the pocket to receive it and by pushing the member O inward in a manner usual in this type of machines and by providing a coin lIIlGOhanism, adelivery member, a stop for the same, and a series of magazines, arranged as shown, it is obvious that under each proper manipu lation of the coin-pusher coacting with the proper coin the delivery device will be moved to discharge a single package, and by reason of the peculiar manner in which the magazines are disposed relatively to each other and combined with the delivery member having the arbitrary arrangement of package-receiving apertures the packages in the holders m m will be held from discharging by the packages that pass into the pockets of the delivery member from the -first holder m. After all of. the packages in the holder m are sold the holder m discharges, and after it is empty then the holder m discharges its packages,and when the latter holder m empties the follower N therein moves in a position to lock the machine from further operation untilit is again refilled.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a coin-operated machine, a coin-support having a downwardly and rearwardly inclined discharging-surface, a two-part pusher for receiving a coin slidable on the support, both parts of the said pusher being disposed in the same horizontal plane, and including a slide portion'C, and a finger-pressed member 0, means for normally separating the two, the finger member 0 having a surface to engage the coin edge, and having a free move ment to push the coin a predetermined distance before causing it to engage the slide member 0, whereby a coin of less than the predetermined diameter will be deflected down over the inclined surface and held from engaging the slide C, as set forth.

2. In a coin-controlled vending-machine, a delivery-actuating mechanism including a pusher, a coin-support having a dischargeopening for the coin, said pusher comprising.

holding the said two members 0 O separated, the outer one of said members 0 having a shoulder to engage the coin to move it into contact with the opposing surface of the other member 0, a yieldable tripper, and means for moving said tripper into engagement with the coin when the pusher is actuating the de livery mechanism, whereby to eject the coin through the aforesaid discharge-opening, as set forth. 4

3. In a coin-controlled vending-machine of the character described, a delivery-actuating mechanism,comprisingacoin-supportingsurface, a pusher device, consisting of two independent members 0 O, the outer one C having a finger portion, and members held to straddle the slide member 0, said member 0 having a coin-engaging shoulder and adapted to push the coin against the opposing member C, a dischargingopening in the coin-su pport, a flexible tripper member carried by the pusher portion 0, and an abutment on the member 0 for engaging the tripper to force it against the coin to dislodge the same and discharge it through the opening in the coinsupport, a delivery member, and gear connections joining the same with the pusher portion 0, all being arranged substantially as shown and for the purposes described.

4. In a coin-controlled vending-machine of the character described and delivery-actuating mechanism having a coin-supporting surface, a two-part pusher device mounted on said coin-supporting surface, said pusher device gaging shoulder 0 adapted to receive the coin, means for moving said tripper into engagement with the coin as the pusher actuates the delivery mechanism to eject the coin substantially as shown and described.

5. In a coin-contro1led vending-machine of the character described,a delivery mechanism comprising a coin-supporting surface, a twopart pusher device consisting of the members 0 C the outer one 0 having a finger portion 0 and portions 0 c for embracing the member 0, said member 0 having a coin-engaging shoulderand adapted to push the coin against the opposing member 0, a discharge-opening for the coin-support, a flexible tripper member fixedly secured to the member 0, an abutment for engaging the tripper to force it against the coin to dislodge the same and discharge it through the opening in the coinsupport, a delivery member, gear connections for joining the delivery member with the pusher portion 0, means for returning the pusher members to their normal position, all being arranged as described.

JAMES R. WILLIAMS. Witnesses:

A. B. WILLIAMS, J r.,

E. J .LILLY. 

